It can be appreciated that flange and ball assemblies have been in use in connection with a variety of pump and plumbing applications for many years. Typically, ball and flange assemblies are comprised of components assembled by means of threaded or soldered parts including a flange adapter, a ball valve, along with various pipe nipples and other pipe couplings.
Conventional flange and ball assemblies provide a flange mechanically connected to the pump flange by a series of bolts. The flange is also connected to a ball valve via pipe fittings, usually in the form of a pipe nipple. The ball valve connects to the overall piping system by use of appropriately threaded pipe fittings.
One problem with conventional flange and ball assemblies is that such assemblies typically required the use of numerous individual components, rather than the use of a single integrated unit. Use of multiple individual components in conventional flange and ball assemblies produces a risk of developing leaks upon installation, thereby causing damage to property. Another problem with conventional flange and ball assemblies are that the flanges typically have bolt hole patterns fitting only one specific pump flange size, therefore limiting the compatibility of a particular flange. Conventional flange and ball assemblies also require significant labor and time to assemble and use, leading to an increase in cost, as compared to reduced labor and time required for use of an integrated unit. Also, a flange and ball assembly made up of several individual components results in a physically and dimensionally larger device as compared to a compact integrated unit. Larger assemblies take up more room in the usually limited space allocated to plumbing equipment inside buildings. Known flange and ball assemblies also have valve handles connected directly to the valve housing thereby limiting available space for insulation material to be installed around the valve body.